Cooking: Vegan

January 13, 2017

Yes, indeed dear readers, there is no comparison between store bought almond milk and homemade almond milk, well at least not the various brands of almond milk i have tried. I have been making my own almond milk on and off for about five years, and lately for the last three or so months. You see I am eating a 90% plant based diet, and almond milk is my whitener of choice for that morning cup of coffee. Of course, coconut milk is also totally delicious, but quite high in fat, so not an option at the moment......sigh. What about soy milk you ask? Again, I have yet to taste a store bought processed milk alternative that I like, except for that coconut milk, the kind that comes in a carton and is from Thailand. So almond milk it is!

And those jars in the background? Why yes, I have also started to make lacto-fermented pickled vegetables as part of our diet as well, and have some jars pickling as I write this......

January 02, 2017

Fermented foods like pickled vegetables, sourdough bread, kombucha tea, kefir and yogurt, to name a few, are all great ways to eat healthy pro-biotic foods in order to colonize your gut with good things. One of the interesting and really important things that I learned towards the end of 2016 is what a major role intestinal health plays in our overall health, and how oblivious traditional medicine is to this idea. If you or your loved ones are unfortunately dealing with health issues I highly highly recommend looking into the field of Functional Medicine that addresses the role that food plays regarding illness.

That said, it turns out that my family really has not been eating enough pro-biotic foods, as we are not big yogurt eaters, so I have decides to change this by providing an ongoing source of good bacteria via lacto fermented vegetables. And I have to say, everyone is really happy about this, well except for my husband who for some reason doesn't love the taste of my recent experiments, but I'm going to work on that one!

Pickling vegetables via lacto-fermentation is simple and really so much fun, keep reading for all you need to know, and pat yourself on the back for all those jars filled with lovely pickling veggies!

December 18, 2015

If you saw these tubers in the store, or even just sitting on a counter in someone's kitchen, would you be able to identify them? Truthfully these Jerusalem artichokes only slightly resemble the ones usually for sale so I was quite surprised by their truly fascinating look. in past years they have only consisted of the middle section, (see my previous post with photo here) without those little fingers, and so they weren't nearly as photogenic! When I served Jerusalem artichoke with my standard Moroccan meat with tumeric and celery last shabbat, most of the guests just assumed that those oblong yellow things on the platter were potatoes, and when I brought out these to show them what the raw version looks like there were many wide eyes at the table.

October 16, 2015

For several years now I have been on and off dairy, and since I have not been able to find sugar free almond milk in my local health food store, I have been making my own. And truthfully, I have tried quite a few non-dairy bevarages that come in cartons, and never found one (except for coconut "water", which is delicious but very high in fat and calories) that I would want to consume on a regular basis, so homemade almond milk is the answer. Yes, it does take a few minutes or more to prepare, but you can make small quantities and I do think doing your own processing is always preferable!

Almond milk only keeps for a few days, so I generally make the amount that fits into the jar you see above, which uses 1/2 cup almonds. This works for me as I am the only one drinking the almond milk, you can certainly make more if necessary. Also, if you want to make almond milk that will serve as cream for your coffee, you may prefer it just a bit thicker, so simply use less water.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds, soaked for 8 hours in water, or blanched

4 cups water

1 large date (optional)

a splash of vanilla

How To:

Add almonds, date (if using), and half of the water to a strong blender and blend. Strain almond milk using a fine strainer over a bowl, or a piece of cheese cloth inside a strainer over a bowl.) A "nut bag" for making nut milk would also be great probably, though all I had available to me is a large tea strainer, which works fine, though I'm not able to get every last drop out of the pulp. Return the remaining pulp to the blender one more time and repeat with the remainder of the water.

If you will be using the almond milk for coffee and it bothers you if it separates, I just read that one can heat the milk to avoid this happening. Heat on low and simmer for 15 minutes. Not sure if this extra step is worth the trouble, but just keep it in mind. Also, the milk keeps for no more than 5 days, and possibly less which is why this recipe is for a small quantity.

Almond milk really is delicious as a milk substitute with say oats or quinoa, or granola, and I have to say in my opinion it's the only milk substitute (ah yes, except for that aforementioned coconut) that really actually stands on its own taste wise. So giving up cow's milk really can be done with minimal discomfort, yippee!

Note: I'll admit, there are days when I make almond milk without soaking the almonds, which just means i believe that you won't benefit from all the nutrients in the nut. I'm not sure if there is anything on the outside of the nut that one is getting rid of by soaking it, will have to look into this!

Introducing my favorite new recipe, chickpea flour flatbread, especially great for someone like me who is not eating wheat, or needs to avoid gluten! Of course you could call this is a chickpea flour pancake, whichever sounds better to you! It is true that the taste of the chickpea flour may not be for everyone, but when accompanied by something a bit savory or spicy I think even the pickiest eaters may be won over. I gave my kids a bite together with my hot pepper dip, and they didn't spit it out! So there may be a family meal using these pancakes in the future (with a huge selection of delicious veggie and bean based things to spread on them) in the meantime I'm just going to enjoy them myself, starting with tonight when I plan to enjoy some with the traditional Moroccan salads that I make every week for shabbat.

1 tsp baking powder (optional, try with and without and see which you prefer!)

a dash of cumin, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon (and more than a dash if you like these spices)

1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if possible, but my family will more likely eat them with the salt)

olive oil (preferrably spray) to lightly coat pan

Preparation:

Combine dry ingredients and onion. Add water and use a wisk to make sure all lumps are dissolved. Heat a non-stick frying pan and lightly coat with olive oil spray. Use a ladle to place batter in pan, flatten batter with ladle, and once pancake starts to bubble, flip over and continue cooking until nicely browned on both sides.

Pancakes can be stored in the fridge and easily re-heated, though have yet to try freezing them. Cut pancakes into wedges, or if you are skilled at making a thin pancake you may be able to use them as roll ups. I folded one in half to make a very satisfying sandwich. Enjoy!

October 02, 2015

It has been quite some time since I've made some delicious whole wheat pita bread for my family, and so these pita pockets were especially enjoyed by all yesterday for brunch in the succah. I served the pita bread with an assortment of cheeses, and especially feta cheese to enjoy with the Israeli salad, and of course chummous, green olives and scrambled eggs with garlic.

If you live in Israel, or will be visiting soon and live in a country with 220V, I highly recommend purchasing the kind of pita pot that I use, namely electric coil on top, pan to be placed on the gas for the bottom portion. These pots are generally aluminum and made in Israel, and as far as I know, one of the few things that one actually can't find in the United States!

But not to worry, pita pot, or not, one can certainly bake pita bread in the oven, just check out the comments and my notes in my post from several years back, delicious home baked pita. Oh, and by the way, the recipe calls for 2 kilos, but one can certainly make half that amount, which is what I did!

October 01, 2015

Many of the cuisines from countries in the Middle East and Mediterranean include spicy food, so it is no surprise that here in Israel, schoog, or hot pepper relish, is a staple amongst those with Sephardic or Yemenite heritage. My husband's family hails from Morocco, so I have also learned to prepare hot peppers to his liking, and as my children have grown older, I have also started to make some or our favorite Moroccan dishes just a bit on the spicy side.

This hot pepper relish is a great way to become familiar with the delicious side of something that uses hot peppers, and you can choose to make it fairly mild or very hot, you decide! My kids love it, and now no shabbos table is complete without this tasty relish, which is especially delicious when eaten with techina and or course a nice selection of Moroccan salads.

In a food processor, chop the garlic, and then add the coriander and the olive oil. Stir if necessary to that coriander gets chopped. Add the hot peppers and the salt and continue to pulse until a not too watery yet finely chopped consistency is reached. You can always a some more olive oil if needed.

That is it, enjoy! Oh, and yes this does not make a huge quantity, I usually make a batch at least twice this big, but for starters keep these amounts to try out this new taste.

September 18, 2015

At long last I have made pesto ice cubes, such a wonderful idea, and really perfect right about now not only because it is the end of summer, but because with a bunch of Jewish holidays coming up that will involve lots of cooking, it is great to have something tasty on hand to help whip up a quick meal!

The interesting thing about these pesto ice cubes is that they are much lower in fat than most pesto, since I only added a few tablespoons of olive oil, and I used only about half a cup of chopped nuts for a really huge bag of basil. Even better, I used up some chopped almonds that had been hanging out in my freezer for way too long, and while the pesto may not be quite as rich it sure was convenient! (Not to mention that both walnuts and especially pine nuts are more pricey than almonds.)

First place about a head of peeled garlic in the food processor, then add the basil in bunches, some olive oil and then the almonds. Process until desired consistency is reached and then spoon into ice cube trays. My batch resulted in about 18 ice cubes, though given the amount of basil I would have expected more!

Oh, and just by the way, these photos were taken with my camera on manual, and I have now realized that the best time to take photos in my entry courtyard is right around 11am, as the natural lighting has a nice cast at that time. Honestly, I can't believe that I spent so many years afraid of using manual, it really isn't difficult at all, especially for simple photos like this one!